The Life of a Simple Gamer

Xbox 360, Mario Mix and EGM's Top 10

No super inspiring or thought-provoking topic today. I figured I'd just write about a few things that have caught my interest over the last week.

First, the Xbox 360 is now being demoed in stores. Both my local Wal-Mart and EB Games has a console on display with several playable demos. When I first noticed the console at EB late last week, there were too many people crowded around the display for me to get my hands on a controller and play a game. With little recourse, I waited until later that evening and then headed over to Wal-Mart. By that time the store was nearly vacant and I was able to play the 360 in peace without a dozen people hovering around me.
My first impressions of the system are mostly positive. The console itself is sleeker and less bulky than the original Xbox, and I must admit, even more compact than some of the promotional pictures had led me to believe. More important is the new controller. After handling it for about a half hour, I can say it is probably the best version of a conventional gamepad yet released on a home system. It fits comfortably in the hand, much like the GameCube controller, still has the intuitive triggers of the Xbox's Controller S, plus adds two shoulder buttons above the triggers similar to the L1 and R1 buttons on Sony's Dual Shock 2 gamepad. Its two analogue sticks feel responsive, and the face buttons are laid out much like its predecessor, with only the start and back buttons relocated, for the better, near the top. Perhaps my only quibble is that the controller feels rather lightweight when compared to the heavier, sturdier feel of current generation controllers. While not a big deal, the lighter construction gives the gamepad a certain "cheaply manufactured" quality that it could do without.

In any case, the games I viewed and/or tried were pretty impressive. Call of Duty 2, a World War 2 FPS that I watched others play, sports some impressive visuals and does indeed look next gen (although I'm sure games released two years from now will look far better still). The title I chose to play was Kameo, a game by the (formerly Nintendo-owned) company Rare that was once intended for the GameCube and then the Xbox. Well, it's now a 360 launch title, and its platform/action gameplay is a good complement to the multitude of serious FPSs and racers seeing release around the same time. The game places the player in the role of Kameo, a female elf who can transform into other creatures. By changing into different beasts, she can more handily defeat enemies or reach areas not accessible in her regular form. The demo had players running through a besieged castle, fighting trolls and other baddies as dragons flew overhead in the night sky. Overall, I enjoyed my time with it, although the graphics didn't look much better than the already spiffy graphics seen in Rare's Conker's Bad Fur Day for the Xbox. I suspect this is because the game, being originally intended for less powerful hardware, is probably reusing much of the art from its earlier Xbox build.

On a different note, I said "what the heck" and purchased Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix last week. I've never been a big fan of these dance games, thinking people who played them with open delight in arcades were kind of weird. Still, I guess people can now call me a closet fan, as this Mario version of the series is surprisingly fun and clever. In a humorous story mode, players, as either Mario or Luigi, follow the faithful Toad through various worlds, trying to locate the stolen "music keys" which, if not returned to their original resting place, will eventually bring chaos to the world.

Okay, the story isn't Shakespeare, but it's entertaining enough, and most importantly, the dancing challenges involve such timeless and fun actions as jumping on Goombas (jump on the mat!), outrunning Chain Chomps (run in place as fast as you can!), and even leaping to the top of flag poles (run in place and then jump off the mat at the last moment!). The remixed Mario tunes are also quite catchy. For Mario fans, the game is easily worth the fifty dollar asking price.

Lastly, the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly rated the top ten video game characters of all time. The list is as follows: 10 - Lara Croft, 9 - Pikachu, 8 - Master Chief, 7 - Cloud Strife, 6 - Pac-Man, 5 - Sonic the Hedgehog, 4 - Samus Aran, 3 - Solid Snake, 2 - Link, and the number 1 character, as if there were any doubt, is Mario. For the most part, I agree with this list, although Pikachu and Lara Croft are a bit questionable at the 9 and 10 spots (where's Mega Man?). Still, not a bad list of choices.

I'll be going out of town this Friday and will not be able to update the blog until sometime next week. I may upload a (very long) review I wrote of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow tomorrow night to help make up for the lapse.

Until next time. . .

posted by GamerDan @ 11/02/2005 10:04:00 PM